Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance, digestion of the diet and greenhouse gas emission of cows with subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA). Twelve cows were included. The blood parameters, milk yields, manure, and urine of healthy (H group) and cows with SARA (R group) were analyzed. The results showed that the plasma concentrations of total protein (TP) and globulin (GLO) of the R group were significantly lower than those of the H group. Aspartate amino transferase (AST), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), creatinine kinase (CK) and L-lactate were significantly higher in the R group than in the H group. The levels of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in feces from the R group were significantly lower than in the H group. Milk protein and milk fat were significantly lower in the R group than in the H group, and the energy corrected milk (ECM) value of the R group was significantly lower than that of the H group. The emission of ammonia and methane by the R group was slightly lower than by the H group. These results showed that the forage digestibility was significantly higher in the R group than the H group. The performance and ammonia and methane emission in the R group were slightly lower than those of the H group.

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